Space Mullet
by deijnar
Summary: Lance and his girlfriend are happy. Or at least, he thinks that. Until she breaks up with him. Keith is happy, he knows that. He has the best best friend in the world, a caring family and a dream he aspires to reach. There is no use in destroying this happiness by falling for a taken guy, right? No matter how cute he is. It's just that... he can't stop himself.
1. Chapter 1

The front door of the hair salon Lance McClain has been working in for almost 2 years now bursts open, drawing his attention towards the potential customer that made such a boisterous entrance. A woman as beautiful and graceful as Lance has never seen any woman storms in, causing Lance's flirting-instincts to kick in immediately.

"This is an emergency!" she exclaims loudly, seemingly to no one in particular but the entire salon, which is really just Lance and his current customer Claudia. Lance really likes Claudia, the middle-aged woman is easily his favorite regular and not only because she always talks about what a charming, young gentleman Lance is. When she gets a new haircut from him she always manages to get him all flustered by sighing a lot and dreaming about being young again to ask him out. Despite her age Claudia strongly believes that, sometimes, women have to take matters into their own hands.

Right now Claudia stares at the gorgeous woman with long, _long_ , silver-white wavy hair just as dumbfounded and surprised, maybe even startled, as Lance does.

The young hairdresser is the first one to gain back his composure. "No need to panic, princess, no matter what kind of emergency may have occurred, I will save you." He shoots her a flirtatious smile but she just raises a sceptical eyebrow at him.

"Princess?"

"Well, with your looks I just assumed you are one." A seductive wink.

But just as so often the addressed beauty in front of him just rolls her eyes and even Claudia behind him makes a disapproving noise. Lance turns around, the corners of his lips now fallen to a frown. "What? Claudia, don't tell me this wasn't smooth?" he asks playfully desperate.

"Lance, this was terrible. You can do way better than this sweetie, I know that" she says in such an innocent and fond tone, somehow even supportive, that Lance couldn't be mad at her even if he wanted to be.

Now he's the one who sighs as he turns back around to face the stunning, dark-skinned stranger. "Fine. Please excuse my unreasonable behavior, I tend to get... distracted by beauty. What can we help you with?" he tries again in his professional business-voice his boss had spent _days_ teaching him.

The woman's facial expression softens a little at that but it isn't quite a smile yet. "I need someone to fix my hair. I have a date in 30 minutes and the wind destroyed _everything_ " she complains, clearly furious with mother nature.

"I can assure that you came to the right place, princess, we'll solve your problem in no time! But as you can see I already have a breathtaking queen to serve," - a giggle from Claudia - "so Coran will be there for you in a b-"

A loud, reproachful cough from the back of the salon interrupts him. "Excuse me, my boy?"

Lance closes his eyes to not roll them in front of the customers as he responds to the cheerful voice. "No Coran, I won-"

"Lance."

A deep breath to suppress the groan that wants to slip over his lips is needed, as well as a clearing of his throat before Lance says as melodic as possible: "Coran, Coran, the gorgeous man will be there for you in a second."

Deep down Lance loves to say those words but he would never, not ever, admit that within his employer's earshot.

Just one second later the door to the back of the salon bursts open, similar to how the front door has just moments ago, and Coran stalks into the room, twirling his mustache. "Why hello there, young lady. How may I serve you today?" he asks exuberantly with a deep bow and the young woman finally smiles, chuckles even. Shocked Lance stares from her to Coran and back with wide eyes, mouth agape. But before he can word his disapprovement of what is happening right in front of him, he hears another chuckle from behind him.

 _Betrayal._

Lance gasps indignantly. "Claudia, what is this about? Don't tell me you want Coran to be your hairdresser as well?!" Dramatically he grabs his shirt, right above his heart, and sinks to his knees.

"But no my dear, I'd never even think about that!" Claudia reassures him, eyes still shining with lighthearted amusement.

"I sure hope so, because it would really hurt my feelings if you would leave me behind for someone else." With a pout and crossed arms he emphasizes his statement, getting up again.

Claudia chuckles once more and the sound makes Lance ridiculously happy. This woman's laugh meant a whole lot to him ever since the very first haircut she got from him one year ago. Back then she has told him she wanted to look as pretty as possible as she was heading to her beloved husband's funeral.

"Never, Lance."

She also always kind of remembers him of his mamá.

"Fine. I will give you this one last chance, but only because your laugh is unfairly adorable" Lance says with playfully narrowed eyes and as a response Claudia nods at him, beaming brightly.

And just like that, as if nothing has happened, he goes back to his workspace and continues his cheerful conversation with Claudia that got cut off so abruptly. In the meantime Coran leads the woman, Allura, as Lance overhears, into the chair right beside Claudia.

Maybe some people would say he's a disgusting playboy who's flirting with literally every woman entering the salon, no matter their age, only to get tipped better. Which is not the case at all. Lance truly enjoys it to bring these women smiles and flirting had established as the most successful way to do so. It is a thing he does with basically everyone anyways; age isn't the only thing that doesn't matter to Lance when it comes to playful, or serious, flirting.

He would never complain about the tips though, which, in fact, are pretty nice.

"This salon may have a ridiculous, dumb name but it was the only one around and you guys seem to be fun. I'm glad I found it" Allura says in an elegant voice that perfectly suits her gorgeous appearance.

Coran sighs resigned but the twitch of his mustache gives away his true feelings concerning the name of his salon. "The name was the idea of my boy Lance right here and it is-"

"Brilliant? Catchy? Funny and unique? You are absolutely right, Coran!" Lance interrupts his boss before he can once again do his creation injustice by talking it down. "Everyone _loves_ it."

"I love it, indeed!" Claudia strengthens Lance's statement with sincere excitement and Lance sends a smug grin Coran's way.

"See? Thank you Claudia, that's why I love you so much."

Once again Claudia's heart-warming giggle fills the room, causing not only Lance but everyone present to smile. "Oh Lance, I have to ask you to work slower. We're almost done and I don't want to leave already, it's so nice around here! There are so many great people to chat with!"

"Oh, that's utmost convenient since I need your help with this anyways, number two" Coran interjects and Lance flashes Claudia a bright beam before he walks over to Allura's impressive if not intimidating mane of hair.

"I think some pins got lost" Coran explains matter-of-factly and Lance furrows his eyebrows.

"Lost? In _there_?" he asks and points into Allura's hair.

"Well, yes."

"Oh, that happens all the time! Let me get them out real quick" Allura tosses in and already reaches up to rummage through the wild ocean of locks but Coran stops her before she can do even so much as touch her hair.

"But no, young lady, you trusted us with your powerful hair and we will do this for you. Or to be more accurate, Lance will."

Of course Lance knows that there's little use in trying to argue with his boss once he has made up his mind about anything but, like most of the times, he tries it anyways. "But Coran that-"

"We will!"

"She's probably much faster tha-"

"Are you disobeying orders?"

"No, I am just trying to point out the fact that-"

"We do it, I say!"

Lance throws his hands up in defeat. "Fine! Step aside, old man." No matter their employee-employer relationship, Lance would never refrain from getting a little revenge for getting bossed around like that.

But Coran only clicks his tongue in disapproval, not giving Lance the satisfaction of getting mad. Surprising for them all, Claudia decides to become his partner in crime and gasps in shock.

"Old man?! Coran is the paragon of an attractive, mature man in the prime of life, Lance! If you call him old, you call me older!" she exclaims dramatically, mimicking Lance's acting from earlier and her hairdresser's tanned face goes as pale as it possibly can.

"What? No! Claudia, I… I didn't mean it like that!" he backtracks distressed, obviously struggling. The last thing he would ever want is to hurt this woman's feelings.

"But it is true!" she adds, trying to sound devastated and broken but her goofy grin gives her away. Lance's expression turns from panic to grudge pretty fast.

"I see" he grumbles, shaking his head. He shoots Claudia a meaningful glance. "I'm only doing this because I like you so much!" he clarifies before he clears his throat and solemnly chants: "Coran, Coran, is indeed a gorgeous man!"

While Claudia smiles brightly and Coran nods at her impressed, Allura bubbles over with laughter. "Oh Lonce, beyond your terrible flirting you are truly adorable" she says delighted as soon as she can breathe properly again.

"Not exactly what I was going for but I'll take what I can get" Lance sighs resigned, unsuccessfully trying to ban his own amused smile from his face.

Then, finally, he gets to work and begins to pin Allura's hair up, not bothering to ask what kind of hairdo she imagines. He knows she'll love it.

And she does.

"Oh my- Lonce! This looks incredible!" Allura exclaims, inspecting her reflection in the mirror from every possible angle. She reaches her hands up but quickly drops them again, not daring to touch the masterpiece Lance had created out of her hair that was terribly tousled not very long ago. "I love it!"

Lance, standing behind her chair, smiles at her in the mirror. "I am very glad you do, princess. And now go sweep this date of yours off their feet!" he demands and she brightly smiles back at him.

"I'll do my best to do my appearance justice!"

"I am convinced you will."

Smiling almost blindingly at Lance she stands up and walks towards the counter where Coran already waits for her while Lance happily strolls back to Claudia's chair. She gives him a mysterious look, as if she is about to tell him one of the best hidden secrets of mankind.

"Allura's beauty is truly outstanding" she whispers earnestly, "but I think your girlfriend is way cuter than her."

That has Lance laughing and he looks down at her with a wide smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I think so too."

Waving her goodbyes Allura reluctantly exits the salon, not leaving before promising to come back soon and give report about how her date went. After the door falls shut behind her Coran goes back to his small office to take care of some business stuff Lance never is allowed to handle, leaving their remaining customer in his number two's trusted hands.

"Okay, but I have to get back to something you've said earlier" Lance says lowly, for only Claudia to hear. "Do you think Coran is more attractive than I am?"

Claudia laughs out loud at that, covering her mouth with one hand to muffle the happy sounds escaping her lips. "That's… He's... " Another wave of giggles overcomes her and Lance has to pause his work for a short moment again, not minding it at all since it delayed their inevitable goodbye further.

"It's… a different kind of attractive" Claudia finally manages to say. "Don't worry Lance, that doesn't mean you're any less dazzling."

He grins at her through the mirror. "I sure hope so."

* * *

With a frustrated groan Keith drops his bag and flops onto the couch face first, burying it into the cushions. College has been as boring and tiring as always, leaving him with nothing but the desire to stay home for the rest of the evening and watch silly Netflix shows while eating his roommate's brilliant snacks.

"Hello to you too, Keith!" a way too cheerful voice echoes out of the kitchen where said roommate hopefully already prepares said snacks.

As a response he only gets a low grumble from Keith who's trying to reach the remote without moving from his lying position.

"My sunshine in all his glory" the owner of the voice says with a smirk as he lets himself fall down into the comfortable mess of blankets and pillows right next to Keith's head, handing him a bowl overflowing with fresh cheese nachos.

"You're the best, Hunk" Keith sighs as he takes it, his mood already lifting.

"I know, I know" Hunk answers with a bright grin and steals some of the nachos for himself.

If someone would ask Keith to describe Hunk he would, first of all, panic. Panic over the fear that he wouldn't be able to find words that would do his precious friend any justice. Maybe, after a very long time of thinking, he could come up with the description: shining, soft and gentle giant to break Hunk's appearance and personality down to their essentials. These words may seem weird or ridiculous to describe a human being but not only is Keith one of the worst people when it comes to words, they are also the most accurate to characterize the man who may as well be truly a living teddy bear.

In the past, Keith has had a _lot_ of roommates. Somehow he has always managed to scare or annoy them away, sometimes intentional and sometimes… less intentional. His brother has always begged him to be nicer to, well, everybody but Keith never saw any reason to do so.

Until he met Hunk. Hunk, who always is so incredibly nice that you have to be nice as well, at least a little bit. Who cooks meals for Keith that are out of this world almost every day without asking for anything in return. Who is possibly the only person that can make Keith laugh without any restraint.

Hunk, who, for some wonderful reason Keith would never deserve, stays with him. Is his friend, even. The best Keith has ever had.

"So, what are we going to watch today?" Hunk asks, his mouth full with the crunchy snack. Confused Keith raises an eyebrow.

"But I chose the movie yesterday already. Isn't it your turn today?"

"Nah man, you don't seem to be in any condition to be tortured with a Disney movie right now" Hunk replied with a shrug and a thankful smile tugs at the corners of Keith's lips.

"Thanks Hunk. How about we agree on some Bob's Burgers? I don't think I could follow anything with a real plot to be honest."

With an amused snort Hunk signals his agreement while Keith readjusts his position on the couch to make more, well-needed space for him.

"You're such a Bob" Hunk suddenly comments after 15 blissful minutes of comfortable silence between them. Keith puffs.

"Oh yeah? How's that?"

"You're always kind of tired and over everything but when it comes to the people you love, you always give your everything" Hunk explains genuinely without looking away from the screen, knowing very well that it would be too much for Keith to hear such words while holding eye-contact.

For a moment Keith stays silent, processing. Even though the information where saved somewhere deep down inside of him it always stunns Keith that Hunk thinks so highly of him. "Thanks buddy. That… means a lot."

With a friendly smile Hunk lightly nudges Keith's shoulder with his elbow. "Anytime, man. Only stating facts here."

Willingly Keith lets a small smile spread over his face before they both turn back towards the screen.

After watching some episodes Keith couldn't have spend less attention to a quiet snoring informs him that his companion has fallen asleep. Immediately a pang of guilt hits him right into his chest, leaving a nasty feeling there. Hunk's day sure has been just as exhausting as his own, if not worse, so he would have deserved to watch the most cheesy Disney musical there is tonight if he wished to do so. Instead, Keith has been selfish, not thinking twice about Hunk's wishes. With a reproachful sigh addressed to himself Keith decides to make it up to him as soon as possible - for now that includes wrapping him up in their fluffiest blanket. Then Keith grabs the empty bowl from their coffee table and makes his way to the kitchen, certain that Hunk has left behind a battlefield.

Not that Hunk is a messy person, not at all! But he likes to first enjoy his food before facing the unpleasant consequence of making food that is cleaning up. But recently he falls asleep before he can take care of it more often than not, much to Keith's delight. This way he can give back at least a small bit of all the things Hunk does for him on a daily basis.

Just as Keith finishes the dishes he hears a surprised gasp from behind him.

"Oh man, not again! You know you didn't have to do that!" Hunk says, the gratitude yet clearly noticeable in his voice.

Keith shrugs it off as he puts away the towel he has used. "And you know I gladly clean up after you cooked for me." Then he tries to walk past Hunk but his roommate most effectively blocks his only exit.

"Oh no, you're not getting away this easily, you grump!" he states and opens his arms widely, announcing one of his trademarked bear hugs. Keith rolls his eyes in the most fond way possible and lets Hunk embrace him with his warm, strong arms, hugging him tight. If Keith's honest it feels pretty good.

"Thank you, Hunk. You know, for everything" Keith says awkwardly as soon as his friend lets him go, living up to his name of being the worst person with words, ever.

"Thank you too, Keith. You know, for everything else." Hunk winks at him in that friendly way of his and disappears into his room, happily humming a cheerful melody.

Following his example Keith heads to his room as well, more than ready to crash down onto his bed and falling asleep instantly. Just as he's about to reach his much longed-for destination he remembers his bag that still lies on the ground next to the couch, turning around to get it. The thought also brings back the memories of how drained and pissed he has been just two hours ago and a smile plays around his lips at the realization of how Hunk's presence never fails to cheer him up.

* * *

Yeah. Life is pretty good.


	2. Chapter 2

It takes two days until Allura is back at the salon.

"The date was awful." The words leave her dark, full lips in a frustrated sigh and float through the room before the door can even fall shut behind her. Surprised Lance looks up from behind the counter, being in the middle of collecting a man's payment whose terribly boring haircut he was fixing during the last hour. He looks at Allura in a way he hopes says 'hold up' and turns back to the man with a charming smile.

"Thank You and have a good day, Sir! Hope to see You again." He winks at the young man who blinks, baffled. When the man doesn't move for a few seconds too long, Lance cocks his head questioningly. "Do You need anything else?" The man's eyes widen before he shakes his head quickly, shyly smiles back at Lance and finally turns around. On his way to the door he politely nods at Allura before he leaves the salon. Lance comes out from behind the counter within mere seconds and motions Allura to take a seat on one of the chairs, not giving a second thought to what kind of confusion he just triggered off inside this man. "Okay, I'm all yours princess. What happened?"

Seeing Lance boisterously flirting with this man who might have considered himself straight until this very day lifts Allura's mood instantly, but she came all this way to complain about her date so not even this can stop her from doing so. "Well, first of all, he complimented me on my appearance - because I looked absolutely gorgeous, obviously" she begins her story, causing Lance to nod in stern agreement. "But then it got… I don't even know how to properly describe it" she sighs and sinks deeper into the comfortable, overstuffed seat. "Stiff? Quite awkward, to be entirely honest. I don't know. He barely said anything and tipped his feet the entire time, avoiding my eyes yet trying to sneak glances at me at the same time. It almost seemed like he was… terrified of me."

"Well, maybe you looked too gorgeous for this poor, nervous guy" Lance conjectures with a grin. He can totally imagine that; Allura, standing in front of a timid guy like the breathtaking woman she is and leaving him to melt into a scared puddle.

Allura sighs exasperated. "Not that I don't appreciate it if he was… overwhelmed by my appearance, which, speaking of, was all thanks to you. But he acted all smooth and confident when we met for the first time, you know? I'm not looking for an obedient, shy man by my side who feigns confidence as soon has he gets the chance. I'm looking for honesty, for sincerity."

It's crazy. They've only met two days ago and yet Lance feels like he knows her. Like talking to her about stuff like this has always been a part of his life, like this is how it always should have been. The way the story flows out of her without any hesitation shows him that she must feel similarly.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry, princess. So that you came here was a complete waste?" Lance asks worried and the littlest bit resentful, seeing it as a crime to waste the time of an amazing woman like Allura.

Her eyes widen and she's quick to disagree. "But no, Lonce! I met Coran and you, the probably most talented hairdresser in this city! That's but the opposite of a waste!" She leans forward, placing an assuring hand on his arm. "I mean it. I'm so glad I met you and I'm curious for all the surprises I'm sure you'll pull off in the future."

A sincere smile plays around Lance's lips. It isn't exactly a new discovery that he makes new friends rather fast but it feels nice every time nevertheless. "I'm very happy you think so, Allura. I'm looking forward to it, too."

She smiles back at him just as warmly. "Maybe I can surprise you in one way or another as well" she speculates and winks at him just as he has at his customer just a few moments ago.

Surprised Lance's eyes go wide for a second before his face breaks into a grin and he snorts. "Well, I can't say I expected you to do this right now" he snickers.

They smirk at each other for a short moment until a question pops up in Lance's head, which he, being the person he is, asks out loud immediately: " I'm wondering, princess, why did you come back here that fast to tell me about this? Not that I'm complaining, I'd never say no to a beautiful woman visiting me. But I mean, you're super amazing, don't you have tons of friends you could talk to about this instead of some random guy like me?"

Allura groans before her voice lowers into a disgruntled mumble. "My best friends told me from the beginning that this guy was a poser and I can't deal with their 'Told you so'-attitude right now. Besides, I really like it here! If you don't have any patrons right now, would you mind styling my hair again? Just because."

Lance chuckles. It isn't a surprise at all that Allura's best friends seem to be just as sassy and fiery as her. "But of course. Anything for my fav-" before Lance can finish his sentence Claudia's face flickers up in front of his inner eye. "Second favorite customer!" He spins the chair she sits on around so she faces the mirror now, causing her to laugh. "Any wishes?"

Her eyes literally sparkle when she looks at him through the reflection. "Just make me fabulous."

"That should be easy enough, you already look pretty fabulous" Lance comments automatically and Allura grins, despite the roll of her eyes. "Just pointing out the facts here" he states with a shrug as he gets to work with skillful, fast fingers.

After a while of talking about everything and nothing, Allura decides to get to the deeds.

"Okay, but Lonce, you have to tell me your secrets. I'm trying to find an at least halfway decent guy for quite some time now but it occurs to me they're all incapable of holding a proper conversation with me. You seem to be pretty confident and experienced in flirting - you have to tell me how you do it and where I can find more guys like you. Just… a bit more serious, if possible" she adds with a grin.

Lance laughs quietly and stops his work for a second, looking at her through the mirror shyly, if not apologetically. "Sorry, princess. It's all just for good fun, I'm actually very happily taken."

"Oh!" Allura exclaims delighted and her movement is so sudden and unexpected that Lance almost messes up his entire work so far. "That's marvellous, I'm so happy for you!" She claps her hands together like a small child on Christmas. "Tell me about her!"

With a dopey smile on his face and his eyes fixed on Allura's hair, yet with his mind miles and miles away, Lance begins to gush.

"Her name is Vanessa and she is breathtaking. Way too good for me, that's for sure. If you'd see us together you'd ask yourself how someone like me managed to get a girl like her to like me." He chuckles lightly and his expression grows even fonder. "She is not only stunning, she also has one of the kindest hearts I've ever known. She has always been there for me, through the toughest of times, she kept me alive when I felt like I was drowning." He sighs. "Really, words can barely do her justice. I just don't know what to say to come even close to describe her accurately. I guess… that's what love is all about, isn't it?"

Allura softly smiles at him. "Yeah. Maybe it is."

A comfortable silence falls upon them for a while in which Lance works on her complicated hairstyle and Allura watches him still clearly being lost in thought about his girlfriend. Suddenly a huge grin appears on Lance's face.

"You know, she actually got me this job right here. You have to be thankful to her for meeting the best hairdresser in all of North Carolina!"

Allura laughs and beams at him. "Fine then, I want to express my gratitude towards this angel of a woman. You'll have to introduce us."

His eyes widen with excitement. "I'd love to! Oh sweet, that will be totally awesome! Then I'll walk around with two gorgeous ladies by my side, everyone will absolutely envy me" he says and wiggles his eyebrows. As an answer Allura rolls her eyes but grins.

"Sure, Lonce. Now give me your phone, I'll give you my number."

As she types into his phone, Lance smirks at her. "By the way princess, you totally can't get my name right." That causes Allura to raise a questioning eyebrow.

"Your name? Lonce?" she asks and her eyebrows furrow when she realizes the wrong pronunciation herself. He grins.

"Lance."

"Lonce."

"Lance."

"Lonce?"

"Almost, princess. Lance."

"Lance."

"Yes!"

"Lonce!"

"Eeeh, we'll practice that."

* * *

"Aw man, that's awesome! You'll be such great dads, I can't wait for this to happen. Oh, oh! Can I be Uncle Hunk? Please guys, can I?"

Keith can't help but smile. Hunk is almost more excited about this than Keith is himself. Almost. And he doesn't even know Shiro and Adam for that long, four months at most.

While Adam laughs with all his heart Shiro grins at Hunk. "I can't see why not."

The jolt that visibly runs through his best friend's body can only be a suppressed jump of happiness. "Heck yes! Oh man, this is so great. I can't wait. I'll teach the little guy or girl everything there is to learn about cooking and baking. Oh, and I'll definitely show them how to make flower crowns as soon as they can form proper thoughts. Oh man, oh dear, this is going to be so awesome!"

Chuckling Keith pats Hunk's shoulder. "Calm down big guy, this will still take some time. An adoption won't just happen from one day to the other."

"Oh shush Uncle Grump, you can't temper my excitement about this."

He raises an eyebrow. "Uncle Grump?"

"I'll totally hold on to that name" Adam contributes to the conversation and while Keith glares daggers at him, Hunk and Shiro grin at each other.

"Just you wait, I'll teach the kid to exploit your good nature to the maximum" he grumbles but Hunk just shrugs.

"Don't bother, man. I'll do that myself."

"Hey!" Shiro revolts. "Don't pamper our potential child! I don't want them to become a spoiled brat." And with a roguish grin he turns his gaze to Keith and nuzzles his hair. "I already got one of those."

"Careful there, old man" Keith retaliates quickly in a warning tone, running one hand through his hair to get it back into place. Not that he minds too much about how it looks but he didn't feel the need to look like he explored an electric plug with a fork.

Shiro just keeps grinning in response and Keith can't stop his own lips from twitching in amusement as well. He just missed that bickering too much during the last few weeks full of lectures and studying, the stress and frustration that came with his studies. Slowly but surely he truly begins to hate it all.

But before his mind can go down that dark, pessimistic path, Hunk's cheerful voice jolts him out of his thoughts.

"Speaking of spoiled; I'll definitely prepare Keith the best dinner he's ever had in his entire life for his birthday next week, you guys wanna come too? I've got to know so I can plan properly."

Before Keith can do even as much as opening his mouth to argue for what must be the twentieth time by now about how he doesn't want Hunk to go that extra mile for him, he already gets cut short by Adam's answer.

"Definitely! Sign those two old men up, we'd never let Keith celebrate his birthday in peace" he says with a devilish grin and winks before he lets Hunk in on his plans on how to embarrass Keith during the dinner.

Shiro just smirks at his husband's teasing before he turns to Keith. "Will you invite mom and dad?" he asks casually, though Keith knows very well that the question isn't meant as incidental and harmless as he makes it sound like. Involuntarily, Keith's body tenses.

"It wouldn't be worth it to come all the way from Texas only for a birthday dinner" he answers quickly without looking at his brother.

"You're their son who they haven't seen in quite some time. I'm sure they think differently about this" Shiro argues, trying to sound as encouraging as possible. "You could at least ask them."

Not that she would have time anyways.

"Yeah. Maybe I will" Keith agrees a bit too cold, making very clear that this conversation is over, mostly to avoid any kind of fight.

About ten years ago Keith promised himself to never take his emotions caused by his mother out on neither Shiro nor his dad. To never project his anger on them, his disappointment, to not blame them for the way he feels. It's just so... hard. Especially with Shiro taking every given opportunity to talk to him about their mother, fully intending on finally changing his mind regarding contacting her.

With a sigh Shiro joins the other two's conversation again while Adam generously acts like Hunk hasn't studied his best friend from the corner of his eye with a worried expression instead of paying any attention to what Adam has said. "We know that you're very skilled in cooking but is there anything we can bring along?" he asks like there hasn't been an awkward silence between them just seconds ago. "Aside our incredibly handsome selves, of course." He strikes a pose and Hunk is sure, if he could, he would sparkle.

"I don't know, maybe… drinks?" he muses and the two men in front of him share a devilish look.

"Ah yes, we will pick a marvellous wine for the occasion!" Shiro grins as Keith rolls his eyes and groans.

"Why must I suffer like that on my birthday?" he asks as he tilts his face towards the sky, for nothing but drama reasons. Usually he isn't a drama queen but around Adam and Shiro, he tends to play along their non-stop teasing.

Even though Hunk can't fully hide his grin, he pats Keith on the back. "Don't worry man, I'll get you your beer." Thankfully Keith smiles at him but shakes his head.

"I feel like that's the least I can rustle up" he says and before Hunk can argue, Keith ads: "I insist. Also, I want you to make a list so I can go buy all that stuff you'll need."

For a short moment the group is silent as the other three men share a look before they all start laughing. Shiro is the first one able to speak again. "No offense Keith, but you'll get lost."

"What? No! That's not true!" Keith objects but the others keep snickering.

"Remember that one time I asked you to get me some eggs for breakfast pancakes?" Adam asks, grinning widely.

"...yeah?"

"You were back after lunchtime."

"That wasn't my fault!" Keith complains. "You didn't specify. And also, they were out of stock."

Before Shiro and Adam can keep nagging him, Hunk decides to save his best friend. "Nah, I'll get it myself, thank you Keith. It won't be a surprise anymore if you see the ingredients and also I kinda got a perfectly planned out route through the store. You'd never be able to be as efficient as me."

"You want to… surprise me? With… my favorite food?" Keith raises an eyebrow in suspicion while Hunk compresses his lips, trying his best to not look too caught.

"Yes" he answers shortly, avoiding Keith's eyes who snorts in amusement.

"Got it. Just don't… get carried away, okay?"

Hunk smirks at him. "No promises, dude."

Knowing that there's little use in trying to argue with Hunk, Keith sighs and leaves it at that. If he's completely honest to himself, he is pretty excited. Of course he's had birthday parties before but most of the years it felt like something was missing (perhaps because it did) and Keith knows that it won't feel like that this time. And the fact that there is a person in his life who is stubbornly determined to make this day special and unforgettable for him is already more than Keith can wish for in itself.

The four of them keep chatting for a while, Hunk telling them about his latest cooking experiments and how he's looking for a taste tester that isn't Keith because, according to Hunk, Keith loves any kind of food, no matter how good or bad it is. Unfortunately, Keith can't exactly argue with that.

"It's always been like that" Shiro agrees with a smile, nuzzling his little brother's hair yet again. "He ate about anything edible in the house ever since he was a toddler. He even liked Adam's cooking."

"Hey!" Adam exclaims indignantly and crosses his arms in front of his chest. "My cooking isn't that bad!" Normally he would go into a huff for a while now but suddenly he seems to remember something. "Oh! Thinking of the good old times when Keith was living here - we actually wanted to ask you something."

Confused Keith's eyes wander from the all of a sudden quite serious Adam to Shiro, who also looks at him with a meaningful expression. "Since fate blessed you with Hunk, you don't need your room here anymore in case you come back, right?" he asks hopefully.

"Uh. Sure?" Keith still has no idea what they're trying to tell him.

"We were just wondering if-"

"Yes, take it! Everything for our baby. You can have it, prepare a room for the little guy or girl" Hunk interrupts, getting the hint significantly earlier than Keith. Shiro's and Adam's faces break into huge smiles while Keith blinks, still needing a second to understand their request.

"Oh. Oh! Yes, of course you can turn my old room into a children's room! I'll make sure to get rid of the rest of my stuff." He smiles brightly now as well. He can't help but feel extremely proud about the fact that his nephew or niece will grow up in his old room.

"You'll need to help us renovating it, though" Adam announces and Shiro nods in agreement.

"Ooooh, I'll help too! Can I be there when you guys pick a color? And decorations? Oh my god, this is gonna be so awesome!" Hunk's beam is blinding and the parents-to-be gladly accept his offer.

"We could start right now, actually. In there is still a cupboard we could place in our living room" Keith muses and Hunk is already on his feet.

"Mission 'Home for our Baby' starts right now!" he exclaims and walks up the stairs.

"Too bad he's straight" Adam sighs and pats Keith's shoulder as he passes him on his way to the stairs. "I would love to see you two end up together."

Keith rolls his eyes. "That's not even worth a response" he groans as he stands up, hoping that Adam would never find out that gender had very little meaning to Hunk when it came to love.

Shaking his head, Shiro places his hands on his husband's shoulders and gently pushes him towards the stairs. "Stop goofing around and start to work" he demands and Adam follows, still chuckling. With a sigh but an ever so small smile on his lips, Keith walks up the stairs behind them. When they reach the door, Hunk is already standing there, cupboard in arms.

"I'm ready to go, Keith. Anything else you wanna grab?"

"Let me take a quick look and then we can get it into the car" Keith laughs and rummages through his old closet. Behind him he hears how someone closes his door and he freezes.

Oh no.

"You want to keep that one too or nah?" Adam asks with faked innocence while Hunk bursts out laughing. When Keith turns around slowly to shoot Adam a death glare he just sees how Shiro practically jumps to Hunk's side to prevent the piece of furniture to get dropped to the ground.

Silently he gets up to rip the poster off his door but Adam stops him. "You know what, actually I want to keep it."

"One day, I will kill you" he growls but Adam just grins at him. Hearing Hunk still breathlessly laughing in the background, Keith turns around defensively. "I was a teenager, okay?"

"But dude!" Hunk gasps, a tear streaming down his cheek. "One Direction? Seriously?"

"You know what, I'm done with you all. I'm never talking to anyone of you ever again" Keith declares as he leaves the room, leaving the laughter of the people he once may have called family behind. Unfortunately, he can still hear Adam's singing.

"You're insecure, don't know what for! You're turning heads when you walk through the do-o-or!"

"Shut up already!" Keith shouts back, unable to hold back his own laughter. "I hate you all!"

"It's your own fault that we know the lyrics!" Shiro answers for his husband and since this is, sadly, the truth, Keith decides to ignore him.

"Hey Hunk, you ready to leave?"

"Noooooo!" his best friend exclaims in agony. "Let's stay a bit longer! I want to learn more about teenager Keith! I'm sure he was a dreamer."

Presumably Adam doesn't want him to, but Keith hears his answer anyways, muffled but audible. "Oh, then I've got something else to show you…"

Ready to storm back into his old room to stop Adam from whatever he's planning Keith turns around again but luckily Shiro interferes before anything worse can happen. "You know we still have plans today, Adam. We can't be late. Again."

"Aw man. I'd really love to see more." Keith can almost feel Hunk's disappointment. But as always, he quickly recovers. "Maybe one day Keith will trust me enough to show me himself" he jokes and finally walks out of the room, up to Keith. "You really wanna go already?"

"You know I do" Keith answers, sending one last glare at Adam who smiles at him like an innocent angel. Meanwhile, Shiro closes the door to the room and walks up to Keith to lead the group down the stairs.

"Hopefully he'll treat his own child better" Shiro mumbles for only his brother to hear as they enter the living room together, making Keith snort.

"If not, I'm sure Hunk is always ready to accept the baby as his own" he answers jokingly and Shiro grins.

"We found ourselves some unique companions, didn't we?" he asks, adoration clear in both his voice and eyes.

"Yeah. They're not too bad" Keith agrees with a smile and Shiro nudges his shoulder with his own.

"Life's pretty nice, isn't it?"

Keith nods, thinking about the great place he's in right now. Between now and the One Direction phase they've clearly been worse times. Much worse. "If only I was an only child…" Keith sighs when they reach the front door and Shiro's eyes widen before he begins to laugh.

"Careful there, climber. Adam's the one who deserves such treatment, not your beloved brother." He tries his best to look hurt but the corners of his lips don't stop twitching.

"Yeah, you wish" Keith laughs as the other two arrive at the door as well.

"I mean. We'll be back to get the rest, right?" Hunk asks a bit too excited and Keith looks at him pleadingly.

"Please Hunk, not you too" he begs but the addressed just shrugs at him with an apologetic expression.

"Sorry man, I can't let an opportunity like this slide. You'd do the same."

"Maybe, if you hadn't shown me all of your child photos multiple times already."

"See? I deserve this!"

"If Keith says 'We'll discuss this at home' now, that proves that they would be a perfect couple" Adam whispers to Shiro but the other two hear it anyways. Hunk furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

"What?"

"We'll see you next week then!" Keith interjects before anyone gets the chance to embarrass him any further, grabbing the cupboard Hunk placed on the ground. "I'll call you tomorrow" he says to Shiro who grins but nods at him.

Then he turns to face Adam, not bothering to look friendly in any way. "Bye Adam."

"Bye, Uncle Grump!" he responds overly cheerful while Shiro engulfs Keith in a quick hug the best he can.

"Hear from you then, Belieber" Shiro mutters, amusement still clearly recognizable in his voice. Unable to return the hug, Keith rolls his eyes.

"Or maybe I won't."

Shiro chuckles as he opens the door for them. "You know you love us."

"He sure does, I vouch for it" Hunk grins as he exits the door behind Keith.

Before Shiro closes the door with a content smile, Keith shouts: "Don't believe him, he's just kissing ass because he wants to become an uncle!" As the door falls shut, Hunk places his arm around Keith's shoulder.

"But it works, my friend. It works."

Once they sit in the car, Hunk gives Keith an intense look and Keith wonders if he should rather be impressed or scared by the fact that his best friend always catches things that well. "You good, man?" he asks as he starts the engine.

"No use in trying to hide it, huh Sherlock?" Keith asks back with a small smile playing around his lips.

"Nothing slips Hunky Punky's attention!" the other explains proudly as he drives out of the driveway. Weirdly enough, Keith feels more comfortable to speak freely now.

"It's just… I mean… It's not like he tells me anything I don't know already. I just wish he would keep his hints to himself and not mention her at any given chance. He always manages to make me feel like a complete asshole."

"You're not an asshole" Hunk responds instantly. "You've got your reasons and I'm sure Shiro understands. But you can't hold it against him that he's trying."

Keith sighs. "Yeah, I know. And I'm really trying too, it's just… hard."

Hunk slightly turns his head to shoot him an encouraging smile. "I think you handled that situation back there pretty great. Don't be too hard on yourself, Keith. You're fine."

A thankful smile makes its way to Keith's lips. "Thanks, Hunk."

For the rest of their drive home they sit next to each other in comfortable silence.

* * *

Now that his girlfriend is standing in front of him, fuming with anger, Lance thinks that he probably should have phrased it better.

"Seriously? A date with another girl?" Vanessa spits, arms crossed in front of her chest.

"It's not a da-"

"Am I not good enough for you anymore?" she whines and Lance's mouth snaps shut because, really, that's the most absurd thing anyone has ever said to him. The enormous absurdity gets him off track that hard that he just stares at her, too confused to answer. "What did I ever do to deserve to be treated like this?" Vanessa's eyes begin to shimmer with tears and, honestly, at this point Lance can't tell if they're sad or angry tears. But it doesn't matter anyways because Vanessa crying in the last thing Lance wants, also caused by none other than himself, of all people. So he shakes himself out of his frozen state and reaches his arms out to her.

"Hey, angel, I'm sorry. Please, you have to believe me that I never meant it like this, if anything you are too good for me and you know it-"

"I don't know what I'm supposed to believe!" She jerks her hands away as he tries to take them in his own. "Why would you want to introduce me to a girl you just met? To show me all the things she is and you want me to be that I'm not? The things I can do better? Like her?"

"No, of course not!" Lance's head starts to spin. This is not going well, quite the opposite, to be exact. This is going terribly. How did this even happen? What did he do wrong to successfully mess up this entire conversation? He doesn't know what to do, heck, he's even too incompetent to know what to say. Why did he come up with a stupid idea like this anyways? What was he thinking? "I just think she's really nice and-"

"Oh, so she's nice! And you think I'm not, is that it? Is that what you want me to copy from her? You think I'm not nice?"

"Vanessa, come on, please, just let me ex-"

"So I'm the bad guy now?! Wow, Lance. Just… wow." And that's it. That's the moment a single tear streams down her cheek and Lance swears he can feel his heart breaking in his chest. He reaches his hand out again, because, how can he make her, the woman he loves, feel that way? If anyone knows what insecurity feels like it's him and now he gave Vanessa all the reasons to feel exactly that - insecure, not good enough, unloved. He opens his mouth to apologize, to reassure her that she's the best thing that ever happened to him, that he doesn't deserve yet needs her in his life but before he can word any of his overwhelming emotions, she storms out of the room.

Lance sinks to his knees, the guilt and shame too heavy of a burden to keep standing upright. The spinning of his head gets worse with every passing second, making it hard to think, let alone process what just happened. But as the realization of what he just did finally hits him, so do the tears. They pour out of his eyes in streams as he stares at his trembling hands, his breath coming in short puffs now. His heart, not nearly recovered from the sight of Vanessa crying, beats against his ribcage like it's trying to break out, like it doesn't want to be a part of a scum like him anymore. With every beat it sends a sharp pain through his chest until he feels too sick to keep his eyes open. He doubles up, wrapping his arms around himself, trying to make it stop, trying to make himself calm down.

But, how could he? She will leave him. Because on top of being obnoxious, useless, loud and insufferable like he's always been, she now discovered that he's an asshole as well. She'll finally realize that she deserves so, so much better. She will leave him behind. And, if Lance wasn't such a selfish jerk, he would just let her go. Would accept that he simply is not good enough for her, never will be, and let her go. Instead, he tries his best to make her stay, only thinking about himself and how he doesn't want to be - can't be - without her. He can't lose her. Not her too. He can't.

Lance doesn't know how long he stays like this, pitiful and weak, but eventually he hears the door opening.

"I've been thinking and I came to the conclusion that-" A shocked gasp echoes through the room and Vanessa is by his side in an instant, her arms wrapping around him without hesitation. "Baby! Oh god, come here my love" she says fondly, rubbing her hand over his back and through his hair in a calming rhythm. "I'm here Lance, it's all good. You will be fine. I'm here, you didn't lose me."

"Please don't go" he sobs into her shoulder pathetically, clinging onto her shirt like a lifeline. "Please, I swear I'll be better, I promise I will-"

"Shh… Calm down, I'm still here, you'll be fine."

After some time of more crying on his side and more reassuring, comforting words on hers, Lance is finally able to calm down. However, he is unable to meet her eyes now, too ashamed of himself and the way his feelings always take control over him. He truly is contemptible.

But for some reason, Vanessa is still there, gently stroking his hair behind his ear and holding his hand. Suddenly, she tries to tilt his head up and even though he wishes she wouldn't do that he looks up at her, because that's truly the least even a weakling like him can do. As their eyes meet, Lance feels incredibly small.

"See?" she asks, stroking her hand over his back again. "That's what I was about to say. This whole ordeal isn't worth it for the both of us to feel that bad, is it?"

Lance quietly shakes his head, Allura and the laughter he shared with her long forgotten.

"I was thinking about what you said intently while I was gone and I don't think a meeting is a good idea. You think so too, don't you?"

This time, he nods. He hasn't laughed with Vanessa in a long while.

"Good. I'm proud of you, my love."

Lance breathes in shakily before he speaks in a small, timid voice. "I'm so sorry" he whispers, closing is eyes ashamed. Dumb. He's so freaking dumb.

Vanessa caresses his cheek and he sees her smiling warmly at him as he opens his eyes again. "Don't worry too much, beautiful, I'm not upset about it anymore. I shouldn't have gotten this emotional in the first place, I regret it. We should have dealt with this more maturely to begin with and I'm ready now to do so. Most important is that we both agree on not bringing this up again. Okay?"

With a sigh, Lance leans his forehead against hers. "Okay."

Love isn't about laughter anyways, right? It's about this. About support and being there for each other, forgiving the other, no matter how bad of a mistake they make. That's what love is all about and Lance will forever be grateful for finding a person who loves him enough to deal with all of his many weaknesses.

He truly is a lucky guy.

* * *

Yeah. Life is pretty nice.


	3. Chapter 3

The next two months fly by in no time, feeling quite like a rollercoaster for Keith.

Unsurprisingly his birthday marks his highlight of the entire year. Just one year ago he would have said that this one day he was given birth to all these years ago would never be in any kind special to him but Hunk makes it so very easy to be utterly happy and content.

Turns out Keith wasn't allowed to do the shopping for the party because Hunk has not only cooked his favorite food - chili con carne, extra spicy - but has also prepared several appetizer, three different desserts and a huge cake with multiple layers (which, according to Hunk, somehow doesn't count as the fourth dessert but is a course on its own). If all this food is too much for four grown men? No. Not at all.

And just when Keith thinks that the day couldn't possibly get any better, the three of them shove a present into his arms and refuse vehemently to take it back. It's a gaming console - second hand though, because they know that Keith wouldn't accept it otherwise. So after eating way too much and praising Hunk not nearly enough for his angelic doings, they play Mario Kart against each other.

"Seriously?! What the hell, you'll be a _dad_! Show some caution on the road, Shiro! I can't believe I let you drive me to school all those years..."

"He's just mad he's losing. Go get him, Takashi!"

"Ooooh, you wish, Adam! I'm gonna crush your fiance."

"Aw man. Not again."

"I'm almost feeling bad for you here, Hunk. I don't even need to do anything. You're just kicking yourself out all the time."

"I just get distracted! The game design is really nice, okay?"

"Winner picks the child's name?"

"Deal."

"No, no… You're doing it wr- no, Hunk, just let me show you."

"Keith, how is this game so hard?!"

Maybe it isn't so bad after all to spend this day with all the people you love and who love you back just as much.

At the end of the day, Keith's stomach hurts from laughing and even though he's only gotten second place after Shiro in their ruthless tournament, his mood can't even be tempered by his mother's call, apologizing for not being there. He talks to his parents about his studies and overall situation for a while but ends it quickly after his mother's empty promise to spend Christmas with them, accompanied with another apology that they won't be able to make it on Thanksgiving.

And right after that weekend, he crashes down.

Down, down, down - into a low of essays, presentations and boring lectures. Boring, _hard_ lectures. Back in High School Keith barely had to study for anything, he was a pretty quick learner and memorized things just from hearing them once. But as soon as he entered university, things changed. Topics became harder, understanding context became more complicated and he actually had to look into his books at home. Still, the subjects were always interesting and he liked to study, to gain more and more knowledge about the job he wants to pursue for his entire life. But now, the topics are boring. Boring, complicated and frustrating. Keith isn't used to it nor does he want to get used to it. He hates it.

Fortunately, with a lot of studying in between of having tantrums and a lot of motivating and soothing on Hunk's side, Keith manages to turn in everything on time and pass with good grades. Unfortunately, he can barely feel proud and relieved about it, because the truly intense studying sessions for exams are still ahead of him.

But just as he's about to rip is own hair out, to just burn all of his notes and throw his books out the window, Thanksgiving comes around to save him. Actually, Hunk comes around to save him. Since Shiro and Adam are going to spend the holidays with Adam's family, Keith originally planned to just stay home and angrily stare at his notes and ignore that he should be studying. But his plan changes when Hunk asks him to come with him to spend Thanksgiving with his parents and siblings. And, seriously, who could say no to that?

It so happens that Keith spends a great time with the warmest, most open-hearted people with the loudest and most infectious laughs he's ever met. He gets to know so much about Hunk's niece and nephew, has to play so many board games and so many rounds of charade, hears so many childhood stories about his best friend and is asked to taste so much delicious food that he doesn't get a single dark minute to think about university stress, exams and his parents.

After they arrive back home, not before promising to visit again as soon as possible, Keith feels like these days gave him enough strength to face his last studying session that he knows will burn off all of his energy. And it does.

Barely remembering anything about the last two weeks except for Hunk keeping him alive by bringing him food and water regularly and making sure that he actually sleeps at least 7 hours a day, he turns in his last exam feeling more dead than alive. He also remembers a guy visiting every now and then, Hunk's new taste tester, he recalls, but Keith hasn't really seen him.

By the time Christmas comes around, he finally feels like an actual human being again. He laughs his first heartfelt laugh in weeks when Hunk embraces him in a tight, long hug and wishes him wonderful holidays.

"Tell the old men I said hi and Merry Christmas. And don't let Adam cook the Christmas dinner! Please, promise me he won't cook the Christmas dinner. I can only leave you alone with them if you _promise me he won't cook the christmas dinner, Keith_!" With wide eyes, his best friend grabs his shoulders, staring at him and Keith can practically see how he's calculating if he has enough time left to prepare something appropriate before his Uber arrives. As Keith has recently learned, Christmas dinner is the highest dinner of them all for the Garrets and they simply don't allow anyone they care about to eat second-rate food.

But Keith just laughs and places a reassuring hand on Hunk's arm. "No worries, big guy. Shiro would never let him ruin our Christmas like that."

Hunk's shoulders visibly relax with a sigh of relief before he gives him the biggest smile. "Okay! Merry Christmas, Keith. I hope you enjoy the holidays, you more than deserve it. Don't eat anything I wouldn't eat!"

Keith snickers again and smiles back. "Copy that. And you, send your family my love." The words slip from his lips before he can hold them back and he feels heat creeping up his necks, turning the tips of his ears pink.

"Aww, Keith! They'll be so happy! I didn't know you could be so sappy. Is there more where that's coming from?" Hunk's sincere joy quickly turns into teasing. Too quickly.

"Just leave already, I'm sure your Uber is waiting for you by now." He basically pushes his best friend out the door who still takes the time to laugh happily and wave before Keith closes the door behind him.

With a sigh but a smile on his lips, Keith turns away from the door and pulls his phone out of his pocket, finding a message from Shiro there.

 _Dad will arrive in about an hour, you want to pick him up at the airport with me?_

Earlier that day, Shiro has already called him, telling him that their mother wouldn't be able to make it due to some urgent emergency meeting or something. Keith hasn't been too surprised about it but he wouldn't have complained if he'd been wrong about her this time. He also wasn't surprised that she only told Shiro so he could tell Keith. It's always been like that.

 _Yeah, just call me when you're here._

Keith loves spending time with his father. There never is any useless, awkward small talk but instead he's always getting straight to the point. Neither does he make him talk about his problems, fears and feelings he currently has, like his mother usually does, so the moment his father lays his eyes on Keith, he just says: "University sucks, huh?" And Keith just nods before he hugs his father with a huge grin.

"It's good to see you, dad."

"Good to see you, too, Keith."

Maybe Keith likes his father's straightforwardness even more when they arrive at Shiro's house and he shakes Adam's hand, greeting him with the words: "So you finally agreed on getting me my first grandchild, huh?"

Adam's face, switching from surprise to fear to uncertainty within mere seconds causes Keith to snort. He'll never understand how anyone could be scared of his dad.

The holidays with Adam, Shiro and their dad feels like a breeze of fresh, relaxing air after suffocating in the thick dust of stress. They don't go for the typical tourist tour, don't watch cheesy Christmas movies and don't get mushy about being together. Keith knows Shiro is hardly holding himself back with that last point and he appreciates it. He's not too good or comfortable with talking about… stuff like that.

Instead, his father visits his apartment and helps him to fix some little things, like their broken mixer, that one leaking window and the slanted shelves as a little surprise for Hunk. And their apartment is full of slanted furniture, really, because neither of them brought a bubble level when they moved in and they decided collectively that it was "good enough" back then. But Keith always knew that it bothers Hunk so he's glad he gets to fix this for him and he's thankful that his dad helps him with it.

On the day before he leaves, Shiro and Adam show his father the school they teach and first met at, because it would be cruel to also deny Shiro that, so Keith gets an afternoon alone. And Keith only notices how uncharacteristic such an action is for him when he's about to end his call with Hunk.

"Man, it was nice to hear your voice and catch up! I know it's only been a few days but… well, you're family. I miss you, buddy."

Keith can't help but smile. "Miss you too, Hunk. Enjoy the last days with your family."

"You too, Keith. Say hi to your dad and see you soon!"

Weird. But nice.

* * *

Of course Lance spends every holiday with his family. That's entirely out of question and will never change, even though Vanessa refuses to accompany him every single time. Maybe she's just scared of how close they all are and isn't ready to be part of the family. Right?

"Okay, I cleaned the kitchen and hung out the laundry, I'll get going now, _reina_ " Lance says softly as Vanessa puts down her phone and pouts up at him from her seat on the couch.

"Do you really have to leave? It would be nice to spend Thanksgiving together for once" she complains and guilt floods Lance's stomach.

"Vanessa…"

"Don't you _want_ to spend the holidays with me?" she asks shocked and looks at him with her big, beautiful, round and heartachingly sad eyes. Immediately, Lance drops his bag and sits down beside her to hug her tight.

"You know that's not it" he reassures, unable to help the panicked tone of his voice as he runs his fingers through her hair to soothe her. "But I haven't seen Luis and Rachel in so long and my mamá needs me." His mom may be getting better with every new day but she still isn't even close to being strong enough to prepare dinner for all of her children so Lance helps her the best he can.

Vanessa sighs as she leans into him. "Yeah, I know. Hopefully you'll care about me that much one day, too." Lance doesn't get a chance to answer to that as Vanessa just keeps talking. "You'll make it up to me as soon as you're back, won't you?" she asks expectantly and the excited glint of her eyes is much more than Lance deserves for leaving her alone.

"Yes" he says under his breath, stunned by his wonderful girlfriend once again. "Of course." He kisses her. "That's an apology" he says before he unites their lips once more. "And this one is for goodbye!" The giggle he gets in return causes his heart to swell and the corners of his lips to turn into a dopey smile.

"Just go already!" she laughs as she pushes him towards the door. "And don't forget to text and call me!" With that, she turns her attention back to her phone.

"I already miss you" Lance says before he leaves the room, getting an amused puff as an answer. He couldn't wait for Vanessa to join them on their holiday celebrations.

The drive to his mother's house isn't long. Once he moved out with a heavy heart and a huge amount of doubts, he made sure to find an apartment nearby. Vanessa wasn't too happy about it and it was a challenge to find a place to stay that she agreed on, so it isn't as close as Lance would like it to be, but it's good enough. As soon as he pulls into the driveway, Marco jumps in front of his car and thrums onto the hood. "Hey, little bro!" Lance yelps and hits the breaks.

"Are you insane?" Lance hisses, glaring at his brother with a rapidly beating heart.

"Vero hasn't arrived yet, wanna scare her with me?" Marco asks with a devilish grin, completely ignoring Lance's question.

Lance's grin surely mirrors Marco's as his eyes sparkle mischievously. "Heck yeah!"

Veronica doesn't bother hitting the break. Both her brothers escape high-pitched screams as she bumps into them and sends them down onto their butts. "When will you learn that your actions have consequences?" she deadpans as she gets out of the car. While Marco bursts out laughing at the perfectly placed reference, Lance's grin reappears.

"Probably never" he answers honestly, causing Veronica to grin as well as she puts both her brothers in a headlock and drags them towards the entrance.

"Mamá, your two _tontos_ and your only good child have arrived!" she shouts the moment they set foot into the house and releases her grip on Marco and Lance, who both glare at her. Their mother walks out of the kitchen with a disapproving look and click of her tongue.

"Stop calling your brothers mean nicknames, _diva_ " she chides Veronica, who still grins and even sticks out her tongue without her noticing, but her expression turns affectionate within seconds. " _Mis hijos_ " she says fondly, opening her arms to give each of them a long, warm hug. Irena McClain gives the best hugs and that's a fact. Once in her arms, all the problems and fears that just plagued your mind won't seem that big and terrifying anymore.

" _Hola, mamá_ " Lance says quietly and kisses her cheek, Marco following his example quickly. "What can we do to help?"

Gratefully, their mother smiles at them but her answer clearly shows that she's only been waiting for that question. "Veronica, could you bring your luggage to the guest room and Lance's to Marco's room? Marco, please prepare the table, I can't let you near the food to ruin it. Lance, I need you in the kitchen" she demands and all of her kids follow suit immediately.

"I'm not _that_ bad at cooking" Marco mumbles as he walks towards the living room, causing Veronica to snort while Lance and his mother share a telling look. Yes, Marco _is_ that bad at cooking.

Working in the kitchen together is always a delight for Lance and his mamá. Over the years, it happened so often that they became accustomed to it and seemed to develop their own choreography, their own system. Firstly, his mother always turns on the radio, always blasting spanish songs on high volume. Then, they sing along with and sway to the music, handing over spices, utensils, a bit of food for taste-testing and the like without the need to ask each other for it. Sometimes, if both of them don't have an immediate task at hand, they even dance through the kitchen, Lance swirling his mother around to make her laugh. Lance loves her laugh. There was a time he hadn't heard it much and he never wants it to happen again.

Today, his mother already prepared most of the food and Lance only has to help her with the finishing touch, giving them many opportunities for dancing. Eventually, Veronica joins them, dragging Marco with her to have a dance partner as well. There's a lot of laughing and a bit of swearing on Marco's side as Veronica keeps stepping on his toes but overall, they're all having a blast.

Suddenly, the doorbell rings and everyone freezes in their tracks, staring at each other.

"They're here!" Lance and Veronica scream simultaneously, running towards the door and trying to shove the other out of the way to be the first to greet their siblings. Lance ends up being the one to reach the doorknob first so Veronica simply jumps onto his back as he opens the door. With an unholy shriek Lance tumbles forward and the both of them collide with Luis and Rachel, whose eyes widen in surprise and arms open to catch their stumbling siblings. The shocked expression quickly turn into bright grins as their bundle of arms evolves into a group hug, Marco not taking long to join them.

"Now, that's what I call a greeting!"

"I expected nothing less from these idiots."

"Hey!"

"Awww, look at my beautiful little _hermana_ , being all sassy!"

"Stop tousling my hair, Marco! Vero, help me!"

"Get thee hence, Satan!"

"Ouch! What the fuck, Vero?!"

"Wow, Lance got even more lanky, huh?"

" _Cállate_ , Luis! I'm handsome as heck!"

"All I'm saying to this is that I'm glad we're not identical."

"Wow, Rach. Rude."

"We all know who's the most gorgeous McClain, anyways."

"Shut up, Marco" everyone says in unisono and their bickering dissolves into giggles before they all take a step back. When they turn around, they find their mother standing in the doorway, watching them with a loving expression and tears in her eyes.

"Your father would be so happy to see you all like this" she whispers under her breath, her voice shaking with emotions.

Also teary-eyed, Rachel hurries past her siblings, her arms already spreading for a hug. "Mamá…" she breathes near tears as she reaches her, immediately being engulfed in her hug. Luis follows slowly, not wanting to interrupt their moment.

"You've become even more beautiful than the last time I saw you" their mother says, tears now streaming down her cheeks.

"Mamá, I missed you so so much…" Rachel sobs and buries her face in her mother's chest.

"I missed you too, _mi chiquita_ " she answers as she gently pets Rachel's head, her other hand reaching out to caress Luis' cheek. "Welcome home." Luis' hand reaches up in response, placing it on top of his mother's with a fond smile.

"We're all here" Veronica says quietly, putting her arms around her little brothers still standing beside her. "Everyone." Lance can't help the tears from falling as he nods with a sad smile.

"But enough with the sentiments!" their mother says determined after releasing Luis from her hug, wiping away the tears from her cheeks. "Let's sit down and catch up. Lance and I prepared hot chocolate for everyone!"

"Frick, yes!" Marco exclaims excited and hurries into the kitchen, Rachel fast on his heels.

"Oh no, let me make sure they're not setting the kitchen on fire" Veronica mumbles before she follows them and Luis goes with her with an amused laugh. He might be the oldest of them all and already started his own family back in Florida but he will never grow tired of his younger sibling's shenanigans.

When they're all out of sight, Lance walks up to his mamá and places a hand on her arm. "Are you okay?" he asks quietly, worry keeping a close grip around his heart. He knows how hard the holidays are for his mother, being torn between the happiness of having all of her children surrounding her and the sadness and grief about the person missing.

Before she answers, she cups his face with her hands and smiles one of those soft, fond smiles only mothers can muster. "Oh, _mijo_." Her voice sounds incredibly affectionate and somehow fragile, like if she spoke too loud, the moment would shatter like glass. And, to Lance's immense dismay, there is a deep sadness and gnawing regret as well. "You're so kind and caring, you have such a pure heart. You always had to be strong for us and I wish I'd realized sooner how wrong that was. I'm sorry for not being able to grant you the carefree years you would have deserved." She raises herself on tiptoes to kiss his forehead. "Don't worry about me, Lance. I'm as good as I could be." Puzzled about the meaning of her words, he wordlessly stares at his mother, not any less worried. But before he can ask anything or voice his concerns, she gently turns him around and nudges him towards the kitchen. "And now go get your _chocolate caliente_!"

His mouth is already open to argue, but he gets interrupted before he can even say a word. "Brought one for my lovely twin brother whom I missed dearly as well!" Rachel announces loudly as she hands him a mug and presses a quick kiss onto his cheek. Automatically, one of his eyebrows raises.

"Anything you want?" he asks warily, eying her suspiciously.

"Nope, just missed my other half!" she answers cheerily but genuine nevertheless. Lance's chest floods with warmth as he nudges her with his shoulder.

"Missed you too, Rach."

The rest of the evening is filled with a lot of talking, even though the entire family already knows about pretty much everything going on in each other's life thanks to a lot of calls and texting, but it feels different to hear the stories in person. To see his loved one's mimic and gestures, to see their eyes crinkle when they laugh and their brows furrow when they get a little too worked up about something.

Veronica tells them about University and all the crazy stuff she's learning and all the smart people she's surrounded with, still disbelieving that she's the one who got a scholarship. She's studying Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Lance couldn't be more impressed and proud of his older sister.

Rachel chuckles at her stories, explaining that she perfectly blends in with the mass of average students at her college and that she found a lot of great friends there. After some innocent, light hearted stories she mentions a boy and the big brother instinct instantly kicks in. Luis, Marco and Lance try to get her to tell them more, who he is, how to contact him and where to find him but their mother and Veronica threaten to shoo them away if they don't stop.

That's Luis' clue to gush about his beautiful wife Carina and their two wonderful children, Sylvio and Nadia. But he doesn't get as carried away as most other times, interrupting himself. "Oh, speaking of them, the two miss their _abuela_ , _tías_ and _tíos_ terribly and asked if you could come visit us for Christmas? I know we planned to celebrate here again but I think it'd be a nice change of pace. Carina agreed and it would lessen mamá's burden, too. What do you guys think?"

"I do miss Florida…" Marco says and Veronica nods in agreement.

"And less work for mamá sounds pretty awesome as well."

Rachel claps her hands together. "I sure won't disagree! Coming up here is always pretty tiring. You guys can embark on that journey for once." Lance grins at his sister, liking the idea as well.

"Anything for my sweet sister. Maybe we'll find that guy, then…" he thinks out loud and Rachel gasps indignantly.

"Lance, I swear…"

With a devilish grin on his lips he cocks his head. "What?"

"Stop fighting, _idiotas_. Mamá still has to make her decision" Veronica stops them before the real bantering can even begin.

"I think it's a lovely idea" their mother answers with a smile and all of the others seem to sigh in relief. "Nadia is too small for travelling that far and I haven't seen her and Sylvio in too long. I'm sure it'll be wonderful to visit your family, Luis." The addressed son smiles proudly.

"I can't wait to welcome you all as my guests, then. I'll call Carina later to tell her. But Lance, you still have to tell us what's going on in your life!"

In surprise, Lance looks up at him. "Oh! Well, nothing new, I guess. Working at the saloon is still awesome, Claudia is still my favorite customer, even though we gained a new regular recently who is pretty nice. Vanessa is still perfect and blessing me with her love and Marco is still a pain in the ass to put up with" he added with a grin and Marco hits his arm.

"Hey! You're not even living here anymore!" he complains but Veronica is quick to agree with Lance.

"I can attest that, though" she says and a dramatic, high-pitched sound escapes Marco in response. He pouts.

"Well, _my_ life's been pretty good, too. Thanks for asking!" The siblings begin to snicker and it doesn't take Marco long to join in. "I hate you guys but I love you" he sighs and the others answer simultaneously.

"We hate and love you, too!"

Once the chocolates are finished and the mugs are taken away, the rest of the evening is filled with more talking, a lot of board games, accusations of cheating and overdramatic whines after losses and loud shouts of victory. They all go to bed exhausted but happy.

The next morning begins, as every Thanksgiving morning, with their mother waking them up with a whistle. "Everyone knows what they're supposed to do! _Arriba_!"

Lance rolls out of bed with a groan. Literally no one else but the six of them would come here to celebrate today but still their mother makes a fuss like all relatives were on their way. And heck, is Lance ready to do a lot of unnecessary cleaning just to make is mamá happy.

Once the house is cleaned, the food is ready and the entire family sits down at the table, a rare moment of all McClain children being in one room at the same time, yet being thoughtful and quiet, appears. While Luis smiles melancholically and Veronica and Marco take deep breaths, Rachel looks like Lance feels: not ready. He reaches out and squeezes her hand, getting her to send him a small smile. At least they were together. Their mamá stands up, ready to share what she is thankful for this year.

"I am incredibly thankful for my children, my wonderful family. How brave and strong you all are, how loving and warm. And for the endless happiness and laughs you share with the people around you every single day, how bright your lights shine in this world. That we are all here, together. I am grateful that I still have my life, that I got the chance to see how much of your papá is in everyone of you, that I can remember him and gain new memories with you. I'm thankful for all the blissful years I got to spend with my Cedro and for the life and family we built. Oh, wait." She pauses for a moment and her nose crinkles the way it always does when she thinks about something. "I already said that, didn't I?" Everyone at the table giggles wetly, some tears streaming down their cheeks.

"Yes, you did. But we don't mind, mamá. It can't be stressed enough" Luis says as he reaches for his mother's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. While she smiles at her oldest son, near tears now as well, Rachel reaches over the table this time to grab Lance's hand. Surprised he looks up at her through a layer of tears, only then realizing that he had let go of her, now chewing on his nails again and that she's helping him to stop. More tears pool up in his eyes as he manages a shaky smile to send her and mouths a single but heartfelt 'thanks'.

Thanksgiving is hard. But nevertheless Lance always feels better after the days he spends there, after all the talking, the crying, the cuddling. And maybe Veronica really is right. He is still here. With them.

On his way back from his mamá's, Lance always feels lighter than before, relieved in some way. Like someone took a weight from his chest, like he can breathe properly again after what feels like years. Unfortunately, that feeling never lasts too long. This time, it lasts as long as it takes Lance to get to their door which he opens to Vanessa, obviously in the act of leaving."

"Oh, hey, _reina_! You want to leave for our date already?" he asks, baffled. Normally, Vanessa isn't that eager about going out together.

"What? No, what are you talking about?" Her eyebrows furrow as she puts on her jacket and looks at him questioningly.

"Our date? Didn't you say you want me to make up for leaving as soon as I come back? I've been planning to-"

"No, I never said such a thing, Lance. Could you please not pressure me into adjusting to your plans the very moment you get back?" Sighing exasperatedly, she walks past him. "I was really looking forward on you coming back. So please, don't force me to do what you want already, okay? I'm about to meet my girls."

"I… I'd never do that, Vanessa…" Lance answers quietly, his heart aching at the thought that she seriously thinks of him that way. He will work hard to prove her wrong.

"Great!" That's it. That's the smile Lance longed to see, the smile he would do anything for. "Thanks, pretty one." She kisses his cheek quickly before she walks down the hall and disappears down the stairs.

It takes Lance a moment to get himself to walk into their apartment and sit down on the couch. He really has been inconsiderate there, hasn't he? Especially if she never really asked him to do something and he just made up their plans together. Again.

A well known weight settles on his chest once more and somehow, it comforts Lance. Because it's what he knows, it's how it's always been - this is how it's supposed to be.

Right?

But if this is the way it's supposed to be, why are they fighting as soon as Vanessa comes back? Why does she leave so often and for so long the following weeks? Why does he always screw up and apologize so much? And, most importantly, why does she _forgive_ a useless guy like him who never manages to do anything right?

"I guess I just have to become a better person" Lance concludes, unable to look at his sisters sitting in front of him as he just told them what a bad boyfriend he is to the most perfect girl he's ever met.

"What?!" Rachel exclaims as she jumps up from the couch, almost dropping the glass she's holding. "I'm sorry, but, I mean - what?!"

"I think what Rachel is trying to say here," Veronica says, placing her hands on her little sister's shoulders and gently but firmly pushing her down again, "is: Lance, you are a wonderful person. Maybe a bit loud, maybe a bit dense sometimes, but definitely not bad. You don't ever have to apologize, feel bad or defend yourself for caring for your family as much as you do. And that you spend Christmas in Florida with us is not at all a reason for her to go off like this."

Lance looks up, not yet convinced, facing a vigorously nodding Rachel. "Yes, I agree." Then she puts her glass away in favor of taking his hands into hers, looking at him with a sudden seriousness he hasn't seen often on his twin's face. "Listen, Sharpshooter, we know you. _I_ know you and I know how you're feeling and what you're thinking right now and I don't like it. Fights happen in every relationship and they are not necessarily anyone's fault. And in this case, they are not your fault, not always at least." Then, a wicked grin warps her expression into one Lance is way more familiar with. "Let's play this game we always played as kids where I ask you questions and bring you to the conclusion we both know is right, okay?"

Veronica snorts and leans back, not even trying to hide her interest in this conversation as Lance throws his head back and groans. "You know that's not really a 'game', right? It's just your way of proving you're smarter than me."

"Yep! And it always helped you, didn't it?" she asks, with a hint of affection in her eyes.

"...yes."

"Good. So, do you actually remember a thing you would say now, in retro-perspective, was wrong?"

"Making her upset, of course. Disappointing her."

"Hm, okay. But do you remember an actual, specific action that was wrong or just the feeling of having done something wrong in the end?"

Lance has to think about this for a moment. "I… I don't know. I never know what I did wrong, what I should do differently. What she expects from me, how to be the man she wants me to be. I'm already trying my best. Like I said, I'm just not good enou-"

"Nope!" Veronica chimes in. "We're not taking this trail of thoughts. Have you ever thought that, maybe, you just didn't do anything wrong?" Rachel nods again and points at Veronica with her thumb.

Lance blinks at them, not quite knowing what to make of this new perspective. Could that possibly be true? It may sound dumb, but no, he never considered that he hasn't made a mistake. "But why is she always reacting… like _that_ if I haven't done something wrong?" he asks, puzzled.

Veronica and Rachel share a look before sympathetically smiling at him. "We can't know for sure. Just, promise us to take into consideration that she's not entirely flawless the next time you have a disagreement, okay?" Rachel requests with a soft squeeze of his hands before letting go. Nodding slowly, Lance keeps thinking about their words until Sylvio and Nadia storm into the living room with happy screams and excited giggles.

"Tío Lance! Mommy said dinner will be ready soon, can you show us how to fold the napkins again?" Nadia asks with sparkling eyes and all of Lance's brooding and worrying dissolved into thin air at once.

"Of course, _princesa_! Do you want tía Rachel and tía Veronica to help? They are quite good at it as well" he answers as he ruffles his niece's hair with a sincere smile.

"But tía Rachel wanted to show me how to make the dessert daddy likes so much" Sylvio intervenes and already grabs her hand to drag her with him. Rachel laughs and shrugs at Lance and Nadia apologetically.

"Next time!" she promises before she gets pulled into the kitchen and before Nadia can even begin to pout, Veronica sweeps her up in her arms.

"Okay! Show me those napkins, _mo_ _ñita_!"

With the giggling girl in her arms, Veronica leaves the living room, giving Lance a moment to take a deep breath and deciding on enjoying the time with his family instead of worrying about things he can not change and, just maybe, aren't even as bad as they might seem after all. On the other hand, maybe they are. But that's a question for when he gets back to Vanessa.

* * *

Yeah… Life is confusing.


End file.
